Tuesday 12 November 2013

A Monster Ate My Mum ~ A Children's Book About Depression.

Written by blogger Jen Faulkner from instinctivemum.com and really sweetly illustrated by Helen Braid, A Monster Ate My Mum is a book with a very deep message. It's a rhyming book about Monsters who unthinkingly eat all of Mum's ability to be happy.
 

Written from the child's perspective, it shows how the little boy travels about meeting monsters and asking if they've eaten his Mum's smile, laugh, spark. They have collectively taken too much of Mum, and they tell him they will give it back.


This book is about Post Natal Depression. Depression is incredibly hard for a lot of adults to understand, and children find it even more confusing. This book for children makes it very clear that it isn't the child who is to blame, and nor is it Mums fault. The Monsters will give back Mum's smile and joy in the end, but it will take time before she can play and be happy.


I read this book with my little boys at bedtime last night and I wasn't sure what the response would be. It provoked a fairly big discussion about how awful it is that Mum has lost all her 'happy' and how long it wold take to get it back. My boys really took it seriously, but weren't upset by it.

This is a brilliant book for children who have a parent struggling with depression. Aimed at children from 2 -12 it really helps a youngster appreciate the idea that it's beyond their control, but it will get better. It's a very short 20 page book, and it ends with a hug. As it always should.

A Monster Ate My Mum is currently available in paperback at a reduced price of £5.99 online here and to download as an ebook for 99p.


13 comments:

  1. Such a great idea and sounds like it has been sensitively handled

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    Replies
    1. It has. There's no mention of any scary grown up words, just that Mum can't smile at the moment.

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  2. sounds like a well thought out book, and hopefully something that can help families going through rough times.

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    Replies
    1. I agree, and I think it could be really useful and comforting to a lot of children :)

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  3. It's a lovely story handling a difficult subject. I thought it was very well written for children to question.

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  4. will note the book down! will get it if we ever need it!

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    Replies
    1. Get it anyway Eileen, then you'll have it ready. It's been a really clever way to explain to my little ones that not everyone is happy all of the time, and they cant always be made to be happy.

      Delete
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